Madhya Pradesh is gearing up to become one of the high-stakes battlegrounds as Bhartiya Janata Party and Congress will fight out the democratic favor in the form of votes for the upcoming elections to the 230-member assembly.
The ruling BJP and the opposition Congress will remain the main contenders for power though outfits like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will seek to make their presence felt in pockets of their influence and give some serious fight to the two giants of Indian politics.
The 2018 polls saw Congress leader Kamal Nath form the government. However, the state saw a change of guard mid-way in March 2020 when the Congress government collapsed with turncoat Jyotiraditya Scindia’s exit and the BJP stormed back to power after remaining in opposition for just 15 months.
The BJP is facing the challenge of overcoming anti-incumbency of nearly four terms, barring a 15-month period from December 2018 to March 2020 when the Congress was in power. The Congress, on the other hand, will seek to encash what it sees as resentment among people against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government on a range of issues.
The Congress is going to make alleged corruption under BJP rule its main poll plank. The opposition party has claimed it is a “50 percent” commission for the Shivraj Chouhan government. The Congress has also alleged massive irregularities in the construction of Mahakal Lok in Ujjain.
The BJP has been in power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003 barring a 15-month period (December 2018-March 2020). All these years, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan remained the face of the party.
